Aurora (Lexington Street)

I went there on a rare romantic evening out with my husband, and was, frankly, disappointed. My celeriac soup was pale brown sludge that tasted of nothing with added salt - certainly no flavour of celeriac at all, a pretty powerfully flavoured vegetable. My main course, of seared organic salmon and veg was just that - adequate and what it says on the tin but no better than I could knock up at home in five minutes (and a fraction of the cost). I had been limited to these in my original choice by a very limited menu - don't go there if there is anything you can't or won't eat - in my case shellfish - as you may be lucky to find anything suitable at all. Oh, and as for service - it was underwhelming to say the least. We were consistently overlooked and ignored in favour of the very loud and good-looking young men at the table next to us by the young, good-looking waiter - you can draw your own conclusions- who had got there some time after us but were consistently served before us. Owing to the closeness of the tables we were also forced (partly through slowness of service, as above), to inhale far more of the smoke of the next door table than we would have wished, and to hear far more of conversations about back-waxing and the relative hairiness of various male conquests than we would have liked. Forced out before dessert thanks to the suffocating smoke, I cannot comment on the quality of the puddings.

So, in short, an excellent restaurant for omnivore, good-looking (preferably male), smokers with an unhealthy interest in eavesdropping on other people's private conversations.
Comment on this reader review

caroline
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Thursday, January 12, 2006

My husband and I have been going to Aurora for a few years now and I must agree with (most) other reviewers, this is definitely a hidden gem. Dining in the courtyard on a lovely summer evening is fantastic, you almost forget you're in London! Inside seating is very cosy and romantic with candles everywhere.

The food has always been good and imaginative (best sticky toffee pudding I've ever had) although I found that the main menu doesn't change much (which isn't a bad thing...) I recommend making reservations, it's always busy!
Comment on this reader review

Ciska
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, January 11, 2006